Judge Tells Plan For Night Court

Beginning later this year, Traffic Court defendants may have to attend their court session at night under a plan disclosed Thursday by the chief judge of Cook County Circuit Court.

Judge Harry G. Comerford also said that trials of personal-injury lawsuits also could be held in the late afternoon and evening hours.

Comerford told the County Board Finance Committee during a hearing on the county`s 1988 budget that his staff and the Northwestern University Traffic Institute are studying the feasibility of having traffic violators attend their first court session at night-when they would decide whether to plead guilty, attend traffic school or seek a trial.

If a defendant asks for a hearing, under the proposal being studied, it likely would be held during the day, but Comerford did not rule out holding full Traffic Court hearings during the evening if the trial program works out. Comerford also said that 10 of the 25 new judges the county will get next July 1 will hear personal injury cases by using courtrooms that are vacant because the assigned judges are hearing pre-trial motions in chambers.

These ``floating`` judges would start trials in the afternoons and would continue them into the evening ``if the trial can be concluded in one day,``

Comerford said.

Studies by The Tribune and court watchdog groups have found that many of the personal-injury courtrooms have gone unused after lunch, either because judges have not been assigned trials for the afternoons or because the judges are occupied with pre-trial hearings.

Comerford also asked for funds to rent space for 15 more courtrooms, 10 of them to handle a backlog of about 30,000 paternity cases. He said he has

``not closed my mind`` about holding divorce hearings in suburban courts in the future if attorneys voice enough support for the concept to work. Divorce cases are now heard at the Daley Center.

Comerford`s comments followed a warning by County Board member Harold Tyrrell (R., Westchester) that ``we have to find better ways of using our court facilities because we are running out of money. We are bordering on a revolution among taxpayers.``

At the same budget hearing Sheriff James O`Grady said that Board President George Dunne had eliminated from the tentative budget a proposed 11- member unit for implementing the county`s disaster plan. He said Dunne also had failed to approve the hiring of 195 employees who would begin training this summer to work at suburban courthouses containing 42 courtrooms, which are scheduled to open in Bridgeview and Rolling Meadows next December.

``The board will face the same budget problems next year if we don`t get staffing for the new buildings because we will be spread too thin staffing them with existing personnel,`` O`Grady said.

William Doyle, chief administrative officer, said Dunne hopes to implement the disaster plan with volunteers because of a shortage of funds.

Dunne also rejected a request for 36 sheriff`s police to staff proposed drug and gang units in the suburbs and $2.2 million to buy new squad cars for a fleet that includes many vehicles with more than 50,000 miles of use. Dunne also approved only 65 of the 82 additional correctional officers and sergeants sought by O`Grady for County Jail.

State`s Atty. Richard Daley said Dunne had refused a request for 62 additional prosecutors, including 19 for a new narcotics felony review unit to review cases before determining whether charges should be filed by police.